Dear Meramec Elementary School family,

My name is Timothy Baker and I feel honored to join the community at Meramec Elementary school, serving as a fourth grade teacher. My professional background is somewhat eclectic for an elementary educator. I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. However, my instructors predicted I would pursue two careers: design and education. They quickly identified my passion for teaching others as they observed me spending as much time assisting my cohorts as I did working on my own projects. As a result, I spent the first ten years of my career as a graphic designer and art director; creating web, print, television, transportation and outdoor marketing communications for national and regional clients in internet retail, computer engineering, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, and higher education categories such as: Amazon.com, Sotheby’s, Intel, Sprint, Mallinkrodt, Saint Louis University, and Saint Louis Zoo. During this time, I volunteered as a tutor of urban, elementary school students and my desire to teach eclipsed my desire to design. I left the marketplace and completed my Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, Summa Cum Laude. For the next seven years, I served academically, racially, and economically diverse students as a classroom teacher in both public and private schools until I was asked to assume a leadership role. Over the last six years, I completed my Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Covenant College (Lookout Mountain, Georgia) and led a private school to accreditation.

However, what has always excited me most is seeing students inspired and transformed in the classroom. The last fifty years of educational research suggests all students need to develop and apply their unique gifts in a diverse, supportive culture of unconditional acceptance that provides deep, authentic, multi-sensory experiences. That mission defines Meramec Elementary School and I feel excited to partner with the exceptional team of professionals who have created an impressive community of compassion and inspiration. In the classroom, I will be extending and augmenting the excellent work of Meramec and the School District of Clayton: equipping students to thrive in an unprecedented rate of global change by helping them transform into sophisticated, collaborative problem-solvers by cultivating a deep knowledge of myriad subjects as well as honing their skills of creativity, resourcefulness, and perseverance. In the past, my students participated in multimedia publishing, SCRATCH game programming, and micro-enterprise marketing to support under-resourced students overseas (including a quail egg farm). New possibilities include explorations with: Rasberry Pi student computers, Squishy Circuits, LEGO Mindstorms, SketchUp 3D modeling, and digital photo retouching, to name a few.

I especially look forward to meeting and partnering with you. I greatly appreciate your insight and support, not only to provide a rich learning experience for your own student to risk and succeed, but also to create a classroom community of deep learning for every other student as well.

With Meramec Mustang pride,

Tim

Timothy Baker, M.Ed.

Fourth Grade Classroom Teacher

Meramec Elementary School

School District of Clayton